MOONEN BAY by Simona Nedeva Art in London

This is an original oil landscape painting inspired by the iconic view of Neist Point which is the most westerly point on the Isle of Skye. Perched on the tip of the Duirinish peninsula, it overlooks Moonen Bay. These sheltered waters are one of the best places to see dolphins, whales, basking sharks and seabirds nesting in the cliffs of Waterstein Head. I fell in love with this dramatic view, and all I could think about was how peaceful it must be here. Painting cliffs and mountains is one of my obsessions recently; combining them with the beauty of the ocean brought a different kind of meaning to me. Thinking about how deep the ocean is made me realise that people are like islands in a sea - we may appear separate from one another on the surface but we are connected underneath. This painting is about balance: human beings need stability and firmness just like mountains do; however, we also need freedom like oceans have - freedom from rules or conventions that hinder us from reaching our full potential as human beings. While mountains and cliffs represent stability and silence (they don't have any natural predators), oceans carry with them an unstoppable power - their vastness often reminds us of our own fragile mortality.